RIA is a three part video work that represents the second chapter in the SEAXBURH series. The piece reimagines the story of the Anglo Saxon Saint Aethelryth, whose body was mysteriously preserved in the landscape of the Fens in East Anglia after her burial. The sequence weaves together aspects of Austin’s research into the history and ecology of the Fenland landscape, a large area of drained wetland on the east coast of England. The videos reimagine Aethelryth’s story, depicting her encounter with a figure from the Fenland landscape of the future. Having fallen in love with the river, both figures enter its waters, discovering there the body of a very large eel who has mysteriously died.

Director of Photography: Lily Grimes